Monday, November 9, 2009

Weaning from Breastfeeding.

For the past few months I have been slowing trying to wean my Hallie from nursing. We are down to morning, night and before naps. As happy as I am with this I now want to cut out one of her nap feedings at a time until those too are not necessary.

My question is this: How do I get her to go to BED without nursing her? I know this may seem stupid but is there any other way besides letting her cry it out? AGAIN! I know several moms who put their baby to bed with a bottle or sippy cup of milk but I thought this was a no no because it can rot teeth.

Suggestions or Advice for ME?

4 comments:

  1. I WOULD JUST GIVE HER DINNER, WHETHER ITS FOOD OR A BOTTLE THEN PUT HER TO BED ABOUT AN HOUR AFTER SO SHE IS FULL. SHE PROB WILL CRY, BUT YOUR THE BOSS! I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE STILL BREAST FEEDING! I THINK IT'S MORE JUST THE TIME WITH YOU NOT THE FOOD SHE IS CRAVING, SO DON'T GIVE IN!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah, keeping her up after a feeding might work. Let her breastfeed until the point she starts to drift asleep. Then, as cruel as it may feel, take her off and get her up and play with her. When she starts acting fussy and sleepy, try to put her down without feeding her again. And maybe, she will be tired enough to sleep on her own. Her sleep will probably be messed up for a few days, but hopefully she'll start to lose the association between nursing and sleeping. I don't know if it will work, I know it works for little babies, but I guess it's worth a try for Hallie. That's a tough one. Good luck.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So i am not a fan of the cry it out method... i find it really quite cruel...maybe that is because people take it to extremes and let their kid scream for hours, but i think there is a point where you have to let them try and put themself to sleep, and that is bound to give you some tears. I am also tired of having to nurse Ky to sleep too....i am still nursing him but i dont want that to be the only way he goes down...so i feed him till he is about asleep and then just lay him down...last night he talked to himself for about 5 minutes and then wam he was out. I dont know if it was luck or not, but it worked.
    I am going to try to keep it up, and although i don't like the cry out method AT ALL, i have let him cry for 5-10 minutes before i get him out and try to rock him to sleep...not give him the boob....that will just make things more complicated. Eventually he calms down and he is so tired, so i can just lay him back in the crib.
    Good Luck! Let me know how it goes

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nadira is down to just one feeding before bed. This is new territory for me, b/c Anjali wouldn't nurse...Nadira didn't notice losing her nap time feedings, or her morning feeding, but I think this one will be a little harder. Just start now establishing a night time routine that doesn't include nursing. Nurse her, but then do bath time, teeth brushing, story, cuddling, etc. If she cries, give a cuddle then lay her back down for a few minutes, then come back if she's still crying. Once she has the bedtime routine down, she probably won't miss her night time feeding as much when you take it away.

    ReplyDelete

Moms with Advice